Swedish Royal Family Crown Jewels Stolen in a Daring Heist

Swedish police are looking for thieves who took two crowns and a royal orb from a popular cathedral, before fleeing on a motorboat.Sweden Police

Crown jewels belonging to the Swedish royal family have been stolen from a popular cathedral in a daring heist, according to a police statement.

Swedish police worked throughout the night attempting to locate the thieves who took two crowns worn by Karl IX and Queen Kristina, and a royal orb from 13th Century Strängnäs Cathedral before fleeing on a motorboat.

Police spokesperson Thomas Agnevik said the incident happened around 11:45 a.m. on July 31. He said the suspects had to break the glass to obtain the jewels, which would have set off the cathedral’s alarms.

Agnevik said he did not know the exact value of the stolen objects as they were unique.

“It’s too difficult to translate these things into some kind of value … It’s such a unique object,” Agnevik said, reported Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

Witness Tom Rowsell told the newspaper that he saw two people running in different directions.

“We ate lunch and one of my friends saw two people run from different directions. I saw a little white boat and the men jumped in the boat and rode away,” Rowsell said.

Catharina Fröjd, a spokesperson for the cathedral, said no one was injured but many employees were shaken by the incident.

She called the theft “an enormous loss in cultural value and economic value.”

Agnevik said he was not worried because police are determined to catch the thieves.

“It’s 1-0 to them right now, but we do not know what it looks like tomorrow,” he said, according to the newspaper.

Police are now appealing to the public for information relating to the robbery.